104,543Records 70,659Employers 84,666Hospitalizations 27,563Amputations 2015-01-01 2025-09-30
Safety Incidents OSHA Severe Injury Reports · 2015–2025

OSHA Accident Investigation · Summary #14385298

EXTENSION LADDER,CABLE TV WORK,LADDER,FALL,LOST BALANCE

Event
EXTENSION LADDER,CABLE TV WORK,LADDER,FALL,LOST BALANCE
Linked inspection
No inspection record linked to this accident's victims.
Summary number
14385298
Report ID
524200

Event description

FELL 18 FEET FROM EXTENSION LADDER

Investigation abstract

EMPLOYEE #1 WAS INSTALLING A CABLE TELEVISION LINE TO A RESIDENCE. HE WAS WORKIN G FROM AN EXTENSION LADDER, 18 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND. HE WAS INSTALLING A "DRIP LOOP" ON THE CABLE. HIS CO-WORKER WAS AT GROUND LEVEL, INSTRUCTING HIM HOW TO IN STALL THE LOOP. EMPLOYEE #1 DROPPED A CRESCENT WRENCH. EMPLOYEE #2 BENT TO PICK IT UP. WHEN HE LOOKED UP EMPLOYEE #1 WAS FALLING FROM THE LADDER. THE CO-WORKER SPECULATES THAT THE "MESSENGER" (PART OF THE CABLE) BROKE, CAUSING THE CABLE TO PULL THE SPAN CLAMP. EITHER THIS CAUSED EMPLOYEE #1 TO LOSE HIS BALANCE OR THE C ABLE MOVEMENT CAUSED THE LADDER TO MOVE. EMPLOYEE #1 WAS TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL, UNCONSCIOUS. HE DIED FOUR DAYS LATER.

Victim

  1. #1 Fatality Age 36 M

    Nature of injury
    6
    Part of body
    13
    Event type
    5
    Source
    25
    Occupation code
    999
    Human factor
    5
    Environmental factor
    18
    Task assigned
    1

Codes shown verbatim from OSHA's accident-investigation database. A human-readable decoder is coming in a future release once the accident_lookup2 dictionary is loaded.